PROVIDENCE – Dr. Timothy J. Babineau has been named the next president and CEO of Lifespan, the company announced Monday.

Lifespan is Rhode Island’s largest hospital system and its largest private employer, with more than 14,000 employees.

Babineau, who will assume his new role effective Aug. 15, replaces George A. Vecchione will become the third president and CEO of Lifespan and the first physician to lead the hospital system.

For the immediate future, Babineau will also continue in his role as president and CEO of Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital.

Babineau was selected after a national search was conducted, one that identified and interviewed more than 30 initial candidates from across the nation, according to Scott Laurans, chairman of Lifespan’s board of directors. “We found the best of the best,” Laurans said, announcing Babineau’s appointment.

Laurans told the more than 100 doctors, nurses and hospital officials gathered in the foyer of Hasbro Children’s Hospital for the announcement that his immediate focus will be to improve the hospital system’s relationships with physicians.

“We cannot be successful as a health care system unless our physicians are successful financially and professionally,” he said.

Lifespan will also renew its focus on patient care and wellness, Laurans continued. “We need to keep our patients healthy and out of the hospital as much as possible,” he said.

As part of the new administration, Lifespan will be consolidating its board structure and creating one unified board of directors for all the partner hospitals, including Newport Hospital, Bradley Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital as well as Miriam Hospital.

Babineau pledged that Lifespan would continue to invest in its research enterprise to growth the Knowledge District in Providence, working closely in partnership with Brown University.

“Medicine is a team sport,” he said, and pledged to work to develop more teamwork across the partners who are part of the Lifespan system.

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